Thanks a ton for the tips! We found Monty (the snake) out of his hut just a bit ago with his tongue slithering away so we decided to give it a go.. Of course, as soon as my son opened the top of the cage, he darted back inside.. My husband decided enough was enough, no more stressing the poor guy out so we let a live hopper loose in his cage (we've been doing a separate eating box) and the poor little mouse only lasted about 2 seconds!!! I am not terribly over joyed about having to do live feedings but soooooo happy that it had such a positive effect on Monty! I did sit with him and waited until he swallowed the whole mouse just in case anything went wrong but he did great! Yay!